Brandenburg Concertos No. 2, 4 and 6

CONCERTO No. 6, B-Major, BWV 1051 (Allegro)

THOMAS GOULD Live in Riga
Sinfonietta Riga

1-3. Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61 - Ludwig van Beethoven
	I. Allegro ma non troppo
	II. Larghetto
	III. Rondo (Allegro)

4. The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams  

Produced by Raphaël Mouterde
Executive producer Dave Stapleton

‘Live in Riga’ is the major new album from the celebrated 31 year old British violinist Thomas Gould.  Recorded live in concert with Sinfonietta Riga on April 11th 2014 at the Great Guild Hall in Riga, Latvia, it confirms Gould’s enormous potential as one of the most inventive and colourful instrumentalists of his generation.  Gould is no ordinary classical musician but one of a new generation who refuse to be defined by a single genre.  He has developed impressive jazz credentials, but it is in this environment as soloist/director of classical repertoire where he really excels.  The Times recently described Gould as “intent on becoming the Nigel Kennedy of his generation”.  Gould, however, is incomparably his own musician.  Bold and courageous enough to forge his own path and follow his singular vision, he steps outside the footsteps of the greats.

‘Live in Riga’ is a defining album for Gould, his first disc of a three-album deal with forward-thinking British jazz and classical record label Edition Classics.  Over the last decade he has been in demand as a soloist with major orchestras worldwide, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra and LA Phil New Music Group.  He is also much in demand as a leader/director, working with Britten Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s ACO2, but it’s when he brings these disciplines together that the magic happens.  As Gould explains, “It means that everyone plays in a more engaged way. There is a group commitment to making it work, so the process is much more collaborative than when working with conductor.”

Sinfonietta Riga is an orchestra with a story to tell.  Formed in 2006, their vision is as bold as Gould’s.  Equally happy to play in concert dress or T-shirts they are intent on building new audiences for the music while reaching for the highest artistic standards.  Their collaboration is a perfect match and a unique experience for both the orchestra and for Gould.  This live concert recording bears witness to this special musical symbiosis.

To release an album featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending is a bold decision.  As two cornerstones of the violin repertoire, there are plenty of performances to compare, but Gould’s versions demonstrate a brilliance of tone and colour that demands attention.  His flexibility and breadth of musical interests is fully evident.  Gould’s playing has the clarity you would expect from any major performer but radiates a freedom in its expression as though improvised with an immediate elegance and poise.

For Gould it’s all about achieving the right balance.  Whether it’s jazz or classical, written or improvised, as soloist or director, Gould is right in the eye of the storm.  If the dark clouds gathering in the wider music world imply that the days of the single-minded virtuoso are coming to an end; if to succeed in that brave new world we need to attract more diversity and brighter colours, then in Thomas Gould we may have found the lightning conductor to spark a new generation.


THOMAS GOULD Beethoven - Violin Concerto In D, Op.61 - II. Larghetto

Vivaldi, Concerto in D Major for guitar and strings 1. Allegro 2. Largo

The final movement of Beethoven's Waldstein sonata - the French call it the Dawn Sonata (they're romantic like that) as the opening to this movement symbolises the sun coming up together with all the awesome potential a new day holds. Or something like that.
Live performance.

Beethoven Sonata in C Major, Op. 53  'Waldstein'   III. Rondo

Bach Badinerie arranged for string quartet. Download the sheet music at www.musicforstrings.com

Bach Badinerie string quartet

Sergei Prokofiev  - String Quartet No. 1, op.50 in B minor - I Allegro

Kaunas Chamber Orchestra, Silvano Frontalini - Benedetto Marcello 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 1
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Benedetto Marcello -  Concerto No. 1 from 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 1

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Étude No. 3 in E Major, Op. 10: Lento, ma non troppo

Luigi Alberto Bianchi, Maurizio Preda, Introduzione- Larghetto

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Juan-Pedro Luna Agudo - Soprano Saxophone
Pedro Corte-Real - Alto Saxophon
Andreas Mader - Tenor Saxophone
Mateusz Pusiewicz - Baritone Saxophone

The MILONGA Saxophone Quartet was created in 2014 in Amsterdam as a chamber music group comprised of students from Arno Bornkamp's saxophone class. This very promising ensemble feeds its artistic power and distinction on the four different cultural backgrounds of its members. MILONGA focuses its activity on new transcriptions in order to extend the technical and musical possibilities of such a formation. Furthermore, this Quartet reinforces the importance of original repertoire in its concerts. Therefore it finds the balance between the new and the innovative and chamber music tradition.

Sergei Prokofiev - String Quartet No. 1, op.50 in B minor - I Allegro

Milonga Saxophone Quartet

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